Lady Sif: Daughter of Asgard
by Matt120
Summary: Prior to the events of Thor: Ragnarok, Lady Sif was banished by Loki under the guise of Odin, fearing that she could discover his trickery. But one of the fiercest warriors in Asgard's illustrious history isn't going to just sit forgotten in some random corner of the universe. She's going to raise Hel. *Runs parallel to Thor: Ragnarok and Infinity War. Expect spoilers for both.*
1. Chapter 1

_How the Hel did I get here?_ Sif thought to herself. She hung by her feet alongside other prisoners, the blood slowly rushing to her head. In the cavernous depths, she only vaguely recalled being awoken by energy fire, the ship careening as if being pulled off-course by something powerful. She soon recognized her fellow prisoners hanging beside her as other members of her vessel; some passengers, some crew, and some she didn't recognize. _Did our ship have prisoners?_ She couldn't recall.

A guttural voice bellowed from somewhere, Sif's sense were still aimless from the disorientation. "Welcome to the Gutters," it said, the volume of it pounding in Sif's ears. The source of the voice stepped in view. It was a large creature and bulky with thick muscles rippling under its fur. Its face was ape-like with a wide-face and heavy canines that could nearly pass for tusks; all this framed with a mane of dark brown fur, thicker and fuller than the rest of it. _A rock troll,_ Sif thought. _Fantastic_. "I am Ulik and I'm looking forward to this, because I see among you…Asgardians."

The word was uttered like a foul curse, lip curling back in disgust. "I've seen a great many of your kind in these parts, fleeing the Realm Eternal," Ulik continued. "I don't know what that bastard Odin did to send all of you running for greener pastures, but send him my thanks when you return to his vaunted halls, bloody and broken. Assuming he judges you lot worthy of Valhalla."

Sif struggled against the chains that bound her hands, but the links held tightly together.

"Oi, quit your rattling," Ulik said, his eyes focusing on her. He paused a moment before grabbing her chain and lifting her higher, practically to eye level. His breath came out noxious fumes, like what one would find in Midgard soil. "Say, I recognize you. What's your name, Asgardian?"

"I am Lady Sif of Asgard, monster," she said, eyes burning with defiance. "I do not fear you."

"Sif," he said in a low, rumbling whisper. "I have heard of you. You slew many of my brethren on Vanaheim. You and that damn Thunder God."

"I am a warrior. I do not regret the lives I've taken or the lives I've saved."

Ulik released her, letting her swing back into place. "Did you hear that, boys?" the troll shouted. "Sounds like we've got an eager contender." The troll's underlings roared in response, the deep cacophony echoing through the enormous cavern they were in. "Take them to the Bloodfarm."

The command was followed by a mad scramble and only moments later, the chains began to move along some automated rail. To her left, Sif heard the prisoner muttering, "All-Father save us."

 _Something tells me we'll have to solve on our own_ , Sif thought as the darkness of the tunnel overtook them.

…

The prisoners were dropped into a room—the Bloodfarm. Its name was well-earned. The room wasn't covered in blood, but there were mad streaks leading from the arena gate to a side passage; no doubt hundreds of injured or killed combatants have been dragged from the arena through that path.

"Is it true?" A voice behind her said. Sif turned. A golden-haired Asgardian man, more of a boy, really, stood before her, fear in his eyes. "Are you the Lady Sif?" Sif nodded. "Please, you have to help us." She could see the other Asgardians, although they didn't approach, were casting desperate glances her way.

"I give you my word: We will be free of this place," she said, loud enough so that the others could hear. "We will not die here."

That seemed to appease the Asgardians. For now. She has seen hope to despair quickly. Hope was always a fickle, unreliable thing. She had once placed her hope, her faith, in the All-Father. And where did it get her? _No_ , she thought, chiding herself. _He was in mourning, not thinking clearly. He is not to blame. One day, he will come to senses_. Still, the thought languished in her mind. She had devoted her life to Asgard only to be banished for helping Loki, who would go on to give his life for Thor. And she remains banished, still.

She shook the thoughts from her head. Battle was soon to come. She would have to be ready.

The other prisoners were a mix of other races, some from the Nine Realms, some from beyond. It was the prisoners that worried her. Some had a hungry look in their eyes; perhaps they saw a chance for revenge against their captors or maybe even a chance at freedom.

Something burned in her head, an image flashed before her eyes for a moment, striking and vanishing as if like lightning. She saw the irony in that, but was that supposed to be a vision? It had ended well before she could even see anything. Perhaps Heimdall was trying to reach her. That thought worried her.

…

Ulik stood on a balcony well above them, though his voice reached them clearly. "It's time. We trolls like to open with the main event and really set the stage. Sif of Asgard has already volunteered to be our first contender," he said. Sif swore she could hear the smile on his face. "Do we have a second volunteer? I promise it's in your best interest to get on my good side and killing her will certainly get you far."

Sif turned towards the prisoners. She knew none of the Asgardians would fight her against and she suspected the crew members knew of her reputation. The prisoners, composed of all manner of creature, were the only ones stupid enough to try to fight her. "And I promise it's in your best interest not to get on my bad side," she said.

Her glare seemed to discourage them, even the kronan, a monster of living rock. It was time to see what Ulik would do. Until someone stood up.

Sif glanced at them. They were covered in some sort of metal suit. It wasn't a combat suit though. It kept the prisoner's arms pinned tightly around their back. Why did none of the prisoners have such a restraint?

They walked over to Sif, ignoring Ulik's chanting admiration. They were only a few inches taller than Sif, but larger, certainly. A voice, masculine but seemingly modified by the containment suit. "The others fear you. Is this warranted?"

Sif wasn't expecting that. She was expecting a threat, certainly some sort of boast. "I am—was one of the finest warriors in Asgard until my banishment. Their fear comes sense."

"Good," the voice said. "I do not wish to see undue bloodshed this day and I will not fight one that can't fight back."

That was likely the closest Sif would see to a boast. "That is an honorable stance…"

"Bill."

"Well, Bill, it is unfortunate that fate must pit us against each other. You seem an honorable man."

Some troll guards called Bill over, likely free him off his restraint, allow him to fight properly. "Not fate, Lady Sif. Circumstance," he said, under his breath, before walking away.

Sif watched him go. _A curious man_ , she thought. One of the crew approached, an alien from a world she did not recognize. "What are his crimes?" Sif said.

The crewman thought for a moment. "Possession and integration of illegal cybernetics and public brawling, mainly," he said. "Think there was a count of sentient trafficking, but that was dismissed."

A cyborg? Sif had never fought a cyborg before.

Another flash and something pulling at her mind, pulled it into a distant place. She could see an endless, grassy field and an open, blue sky. The sea stretched out before her. She has seen this land before. It was somewhere on Midgard. But where…?

"Lady Sif," a kindly, familiar voice said.

"Lord Odin? Where are you? Is it you giving me these vision?" She looked, but she saw only the endless expanse. Her king was nowhere in sight.

"Be ready. Look beneath."

"What do you—?"

The vision crumbled away and she found herself standing before two troll guards. "Ulik knows you'll fight hard," the one on the right said.

"But just in case, he wanted to provide some encouragement," the one on the left said.

Before Sif could respond, one grabbed her while the other pressed a strange device against her shoulder. It buzzed to life before a mechanism punched something thin and wiry deep into Sif's shoulder.

She screamed for a moment before biting it back. A mild shock ran from her shoulder throughout her body. It took her a moment to get her breathing back under control.

"Don't fight, we give you a shock."

"Either it kills you or the other guys kill while you're writhing on the floor."

Sif stood tall and lifted her arms forward, still tied together in heavy chains. "Just untie me and give me a sword," she said.

…

They did give her a sword and even a shield. They weren't Asgardian-quality, but they would do. And she doubted Bill would be given anything significantly better.

Sif stepped through the bronze gates into the arena. It was a pathetic sight, barely more than a large, circular room carved out of the ground. To think, this could be the place of her final battle. _Shameful_ , she thought

There was a cheering crowd, though they were certainly cheering for her death. She breathed deep. Bill seemed honorable, but he seemed ready to fight to the death, if necessary. A fine quality—admirable, even, but, she had to admit, a less desirable quality when it could result in _her_ death.

"Fellow trolls of the Realm Below," Ulik shouted from somewhere up above. "Welcome to our first, and main, event. In the bronze corner, we have the slayer of countless trolls, companion to the Thunder God himself, Lady Sif of Asgard." The sound of uproarious screams echoed across the arena. Sif couldn't even tell if that was positive or not.

Ulik waited for silence before opening the opposite gate. A figure stood in the shadows. "And in the stone corner," Ulik said, "a cybernetic warrior, the pinnacle of korbinite technology, and a creature of incredible strength and skill." Stepping forward, free of restraints, Sif's eyes widened in surprise. "Beta Ray Bill!"

…

Sif studied Bill. He was not what she was expecting.

His face was bestial and elongated, but also frighteningly skeletal. His eyes were pale things with no pupils. He looked like a monster.

"Combatants," Ulik said, one final time. "Kill."

Bill shouldered his mace and strode forward leisurely. Even without the suit, his voice had the slightest mechanical tone to it. "You seem shocked, Lady Sif."

"Just surprised," she said, raising her shield.

"I would explain my appearance, but I don't think it matters right now, does it?"

Sif leveled her gaze. "I doubt either of us will be looking very good by the end of this," she said and she swore she heard him laugh before rushing in.

Bill brought his mace down, catching Sif's shield at an angle. Even from a glancing blow, she could feel the power behind it, almost getting thrown off balance entirely. Their blows were blocked in an equal flurry; Bill's strength meant Sif was forced to intercept his swings early, before they gained momentum.

Bill caught on to this and began using the mace in his left hand. His blows were easily parried until he slammed a heavy-handed fist into Sif's shield, launching her into the far wall. The impact knocked all of the air out of her lungs.

It was by instinct alone that she dodged the mace thrown with enough force to embed itself into the stone wall. Sif tossed the dented shield aside and ripped the mace from the wall. Bill charged her, weaponless, though, as Sif had just discovered, he certainly didn't need them.

Still finding her breath, Sif threw her sword; it spun, cutting a circular arc through the air. Bill jumped clear over it. Just as Sif knew he would. As his feet met the ground not far from Sif, the Asgardian brought the mace up in a savage arc, landing a hard blow on Bill's jaw.

The cyborg flew some distance before landing in a heap, the impact of the blow still echoing. Sif dropped to a knee, breathing heavily. Now the mace was dented. _What the Hel was he made of?Uru?_

The crowd didn't know what whether to cheer or boo. Even Ulik, wherever he was, didn't say anything, allowing the silence to linger.

Sif bowed her head. _You were a worthy opponent, Bill_ , she thought. _May Odin welcome you to—_

Movement, and a large intake of breath from the crowd, drew her mind away from her silent prayer. Bill steadily pushed himself to his feet as all eyes were drawn to him. He rolled his shoulders, bringing with it the sound of straining metal. Then a pop.

Bill opened his eyes. "Well fought, Lady Sif. You are a worthy oppoent. But," he said, rubbing his shoulder, "it seems circumstances have changed." He turned towards the crowd. "Ulik, I'm ending this blood-sport now. No one dies."

Ulik appeared on the archway above the bronze gate. Laughing a guttural laugh. "Did that blow knock out your circuits, cyborg? This isn't over until you rip her head off."

Bill turned his pitiless gaze upon the troll. "It's over."

Anger contorted the troll's already bestial expression into something monstrous, devoid of any reason. "Fry him," Ulik growled. "Fry him."

A buzzing came from Bill's shoulder, sparks flying from the same device they injected into Sif. But Bill seemed only annoyed at the scattering sparks before a thin trail of smoke began rising and the sparks died out.

Bill stood unfazed, his glare aimed squarely at Ulik. "I will say one final time: this is over. Release us now."

The Lady Sif of Asgard looked at the cyborg in a new light. She heard Odin's words echo in her mind. _Look beneath_. She did so and Bill no longer looked a monster. A smirk touched her lips as she stood and tightened her grip on her battle-scarred mace. Standing alone, staring down evil, he looked like a warrior.


	2. Chapter 2

Sif was at Bill's side in a moment. She looked at his shoulder, the one that carried the implant. It was burned black, the thinnest trail of smoke rose up from it. "Your implant?"

"When you knocked me out, I managed to reset some of my core systems, including the one that deals with foreign infections and invasive technology." The cyborg's eyes searched the cavern,

Sif raised an eyebrow. "You planned this?"

"Getting knocked out wasn't part of the plan, though it did expedite things." He glanced at her for a moment. "Impressive technique."

Sif paused. "Thank you," she said, looking away.

A crash thundered throughout the cavern as Ulik landed, cracking the stone beneath his feet. His gaze fell on the pair of combatants in the center. An assortment of metal rings interlocked around his fingers like brass knuckles. But they weren't brass. No, Sif recognized the metal immediately: Uru, the metal used in the creation of Thor's own hammer. _Where could this monster have obtained uru?_ "Step aside, Asgardian. Your death comes later. It is the cyborg first."

Sif's face twisted in anger. Commanding a warrior of Asgard to stand aside. He would learn the meaning of war. As she stepped, Bill grabbed her arm. "Your implant is still active," he said. His voice grew low. "I will deal with the troll."

Before Sif could respond, Bill surged forward, meeting Ulik in a thunderous collision, sending waves of force across the arena floor.

 _Odin's beard_ , Sif thought. _They're as strong as Thor_. The other trolls stood ready on the arena walls and balconies, each carrying a weapon of enormous size, be it warhammer or blaster. Sif could feel her the passive heat of the implant and she had no illusion that she could fight off a horde of armed trolls while resisting its effects. She had to remove it, but how?

Her answer came from a glint of light on the far-side: her sword. She had thrown it as a means of distracting Bill during their bout and it had embedded itself within the wall. She looked down at her shoulder. Only the ends of the wiring stuck out, the rest hidden beneath muscle and sinew.

Lady Sif sighed. _What the Hel?_ she thought, leaning forward, grinding one heel into the ground. _It's worth a shot._

…

Bill brought up his arms in time to protect his face, but the troll's metal-studded knuckles slammed into him with enough force to send him back skidding back a good twenty feet. The troll was stronger than he expected, but underestimating the wrong people was becoming something of a trend.

 _Good thing he's slow_ , Bill thought, dodging through a series of haymakers. A wide shot and an opening. Bill slammed both of his fists into the creature's solar plexus with enough strength to dent Chitauri metal. The troll grunted and smiled, revealing a row of blocky, uneven teeth. "Is that all you've got?"

Bill didn't care to respond. To fight one has to know their purpose. Bill knows his purpose and it isn't to talk.

A streak shot past Ulik's back, Bill's eyes following it instinctively. _Sif?_ he thought. _What in damnation—?_ Bill only just managed to duck to the left, avoiding the troll's enormous fist by a hair; he couldn't dodge the follow-up, which slammed hard into Bill's side.

If Bill had a need for air, the stone wall would've knocked it out of his lungs; instead, the pain was cold while trailed along his mechanical nerves. He looked far to his left. Lady Sif had reached her thrown sword and ripped it free from the wall. _Damn it_ , Bill thought. She couldn't be planning trying to fight with her implant still live.

Instead Sif held the blade close to her face, turning it about in her hand. Examining it. Then she flipped it downwards, raised it, and shoved the blade into her shoulder.

…

Sif's shoulder exploded with pain and quite possibly actual explosives. She clenched her teeth against the scream in her threat. _Soon it'll just be another scar earned_ , she thought. When she looked down, she was pleased to see her shoulder did _not_ actually explode, but she could hear the whir of dying machinery. A few more shudders of pain and she managed to slide the sword out. The damage was clean.

She had still had some function in her right arm, but moving it reignited the wound with fresh fire, as if it was stabbed all over again.

She turned to see the two combatants had paused their fight to look at her. Bill was staring at her a mixture of disbelief and…was that admiration? Maybe a speck of it. It only took Ulik a moment to realize what her purpose had been.

"Room for one more?" Sif said, taking the sword up in her left hand.

Ulik growled, glare switching between the two. "Forget this," he said. "Get them."

A cacophony of roars shook the foundations as rock trolls leapt into the arena. A superheated projectile shot within a few inches of Sif's past, the air bursting with heat. _They'll try and isolate us_ , she thought. _Got to reach Bill._

The wound in her shoulder slowed her and impaired her skill, but Lady Sif traced through a mass of troll body's, leaving an untold number of scars in her wake. One particularly large troll shouldered an enormous energy cannon. Sif smiled. That will do.

She only had a moment to take stock of her opponent, but eyes that have seen a thousand years' worth of war and combat knew where to look. He stood at least twice her height. In her injured state, she doubted she could jump high to strike at his head, at least not quickly enough. His arms were within reach, but they were within his range as well. That left…

As she closed in, the large troll tried to crush her beneath his feet, but she slid through and sliced at his other foot; her sword met the back of his ankle and cut clean through, a red ribbon following the tip of her sword.

The troll falling to his knee nearly caused a tremor, but Sif didn't stop. She threw her sword into the creature's lower back; Lady Sif ran only a split second. Even as the troll staggered from the sword's impact, she leapt up and landed on the flat of the sword. It held her weight as she pressed off against the troll and threw herself against the cannon, knocking it from the troll's shoulder.

The cannon landed with a crash with Sif following nimbly behind it. Let's see what you can do, she thought. The cannon was large, at least seven feet in length. But, with a grunt, she managed to heft it onto her good shoulder. It didn't have a trigger; instead, an assortment of buttons on the side seemed to control it. Most of the buttons were ripped out except for one. Sif pressed.

A ray of molten heat shot from the head of the cannon. The beam slammed into an unsuspecting troll, vaporizing him completely. Sif released the button and the beam stopped. She stared in surprise at the gap she had created in the trolls' number. Oh yeah, she could work with this.

…

Bill tore a large-headed hammer from its owner's grip before swinging it back, sending the troll flying into a group of its companions. He wanted to say this wasn't the outcome he wanted, but he didn't really put much thought into his "plan."

A red beam cast its vibrant light through the cavern followed by troll screams cut short. Through the troll ranks, he could make out Lady Sif carrying some sort of cannon on her shoulder, firing in sustained bursts.

This woman is mad, he thought, but began making his way to her, slamming trolls out of his way. Soon enough, he had reached her. "Bill," she shouted over the pounding of the cannon's pistons. "You seemed to possess some semblance of a plan. Might I know what it is?"

"It was pretty much fight the biggest guy here," Bill said, moving to cover her flank.

Sif rolled her eyes, but before locking onto another advancing troll and sending a short blast its way. "Well, you fought him. What's the next step?"

Bill stopped himself from admitting he had no plan, not that she was unaware. He just didn't want to admit. He risked a couple glances towards the gates. More allies would be useful, but they'd be incapacitated by the implants. He doubted many of them would be willing to impale their own shoulders and he couldn't disable the implants quickly. But maybe he wouldn't have to it.

He blinked and the world turned a greyish-blue. The cannon on Sif's shoulder was alight and pulsing red. Other electronics pulsed with a similar energy. He scanned the room and saw something. A monitor of some sort, propped against the wall; it sent off faint signals that led towards the prisoners' holding rooms. An inactive signal. That had to be.

Bill's vision returned to normal. Batting another troll aside, he moved closer to Sif. "Fire at that upper monitor towards the bronze gate." To his surprise, Sif turned without a word and fired a single blast at the monitor, punching through it and melting the remains. Bill saw the signal die. "Now fire at the gates."

Once more, Sif responded. She held the beam steady as it melted the metallic gates, Bill crushing any troll that got too close. Moments later, Bill heard the warning he was waiting. "The prisoners are free!" Ulik's voice said with a hint of static interference.

Bill threw his hammer, letting it fell a group of trolls moving towards the hesitant prisoners. "No more slaves!" Bill shouted. "Claim your freedom!" At his urging, the prisoners took up the arms of the already fallen trolls. A kronan lifted Bill's hammer and let out a roar that sounded like a crumbling mountain. The trolls' numbers began to dwindle.

"It seems your planning is working, Bill," Lady Sif said, smiling at him.

"Well…I did have some help," Bill said, turning away. Things had gone far better than they deserved and now came the part where he actually did have a plan. Reach Skuttlebutt. "We need to get to my ship."

…

Sif left to Bill to aid the prisoners push back the trolls. She met her fellow Asgardians by the gate; they had taken up weapons, but hadn't joined in the fray.

"Stick together," Sif said. "We think we have a way, but we need to reach it." They nodded their understanding. "Good. Who among you is the leader?"

They paused a moment before a blonde woman raised her hand, hesitantly. Sif raised an eyebrow. _This one?_ she thought. She didn't look a warrior at all. "I am, Lady Sif," she said. _She spoken evenly, at least. She didn't seem any more frightened than the rest; better composed, if anything._ "My name is Lofn."

Sif was skeptical, but all the other Asgardians seemed to content. "Well, Lofn, it is our job to lead our people to safety." Lofn nodded. "Let us join Bill and the other prisoners."

Bill was speaking with the kronan when Sif and the Asgardians arrived, but before Sif could speak, her vision flashed and all her senses left her. She was kneeling and she felt…grass. And a breeze.

Another vision. No, the same vision. A location unknown on Midgard.

"Lady Sif," came Odin's voice. It was solid this time.

She turned and saw him. Odin All-Father sat on a stone, no longer in the golden armor he had warn for thousands of years. No longer carrying his mighty spear, Gungnir, by his side. But he was here. He looked solid, real. Moreso than when she saw him last, than when…he banished her from Asgard.

Sif knelt before him. "All-Father," she said stiffly, eyes focused on the ground beneath him. She didn't want to look at him. She told herself she didn't deserve to; she had been banished after all. Her heart skipped a beat. Is that why he was here? Would he allow her return? "It pleases me to see you."

"Lying was never your strong suit, Lady Sif. Nor Thor's," he said. "Now that is one gift I am glad I did pass onto him, or you, for that matter."

"I'm…afraid I don't know what you're talking about, my lord."

Odin laughed. It was soft. Not the hearty laugh of an Asgardian, heavy with mead and light on reason. "I suppose you don't. Come now," he said. "On Asgard, you were always a beacon of truth. Lies possess no allure in your eyes, I already know this. So I want to hear the truth from you."

Sif swallowed. "What truth?"

"The truth is you, Lady Sif, most loyal servant of Asgard…are angered with me."

Sif finally looked up, a mix of emotions running through her mind. Fear, shame, doubt. Anger. "N-no, my lord…"

"You were angered by your banishment, yes?" Odin said. Sif paused. "You were angered that, after over a thousand years of dutiful, fighting over thousand wars, you were banished from your home. All for aiding my son in saving us all."

"…Yes," she said slowly. "Of course I was." Sif stood. Her mind felt clear. "I am still angry."

Odin smiled. "And not unjustly," he said, standing. His clothes looked as if from Midgard. _What has he been doing?_ "You were wronged. I wish I could make things right." For the first time since Queen Frigga's death, Sif saw a terrible sadness tear away at Odin, his expression growing grim as if he aged another thousand years before her eyes. "I wish I could make so many things right."

"Then take me back," Sif said through clenched teeth. "Please. I want to go back to Asgard. I want to see its golden halls. I want to fight beside its people. I want to spar with Hogrun and banter with Fandral. I want to sit and eat with Volstagg's family." She realized tears had started to form. She wiped them away with a sigh. "I want to see Thor grow to become the king I always knew he would be."

The All-Father sighed. "Lady Sif, I am sorry," he said, bowing his head. "I am so sorry. None of those things are possible. Asgard…" Odin looked up at her with his one eye. "Asgard as you know it will soon be gone forever. Ragnarok has begun."


End file.
